This invention relates to roller skates and more particularly to roller skates having an integral toe stop mounting structure defining a toe stop mounting bolt receiving bore of a given predetermined diameter.
A toe stop is a device mounted on the front of a roller skate and which has a high friction factor relative to the surface on which the roller skate is used so that, by tilting the skate forward, the toe stop may strike the surface and inhibit further movement of the skates. This is advantageous in certain roller skating activities.
Various types of roller skate toe stops and roller skate toe stop mounting assemblies have been developed over the years. Today, toe stops are commonly made of rubber and are in the form of cylinders or hemispheres which can be secured to a downwardly and forwardly facing toe stop support structure or mounting shoulder on the roller skate by means of a threaded bolt or machine screw.
It has been found that in use, a toe stop may rotate about its mounting bolt, or, if the mounting bolt is integral with the toe stop, the toe stop and bolt may rotate within the mounting bore in the roller skate toe stop support structure. This rotation can cause loosening of the toe stop and can cause the toe stop to become displaced from the desired position on the front of the roller skate (e.g., the toe stop may loosen and move closer to the floor). Further, a loose toe stop can cause the roller skater to rotate slightly relative to the toe stop when the skater tilts the skate and engages the stop with the floor. In general, none of these occurrences is desirable.
There are two basic mounting combinations of a roller skate and toe stop. One is the roller skate with the fixed, non-adjustable toe stop mounting structure. The second is the roller skate with the adjustable toe stop mounting structure.
The roller skate manufacturing industry has developed over the years to the point where most of the fixed, non-adjustable toe stop roller skates have a toe stop receiving bore of 1/4 inch diameter adapted to receive a threaded 1/4 inch toe stop mounting bolt. The adjustable toe stop roller skates use a larger, 5/8 inch diameter threaded bore for receiving a 5/8 inch diameter adjustable toe stop mounting bolt. For the adjustable toe stop, the industry has standardized on the larger, 5/8 inch diameter mounting bolt in order to provide the required strength and in order to provide a structural member of sufficient size that can be adequately locked in place in the roller skate.
Specifically, with an adjustable toe stop, the distance between the floor on which the roller skate is placed and the bottom of the toe stop is variable within a certain range. This adjustability accommodates the needs of the individual using the skates who may desire to vary the distance depending upon whether he is skating for pleasure, in exhibition, or competitively. Although a number of different types of assemblies have been incorporated for roller skates adapted to use adjustable toe stops, the industry has generally standardized on the 5/8 inch diameter stud mounted toe stop for use with a roller skate having an integral, adjustable toe stop support structure.
In the United States, between 1945 and 1950, many roller skate manufacturers began to offer roller skates with the integral toe stop mounting structures or shoulder similar to those discussed above. Some of the roller skates were adapted to receive a non-adjustable toe stop and other roller skates were adapted to receive the adjustable toe stops. Some manufacturers offered both types of roller skates. However, up until the present invention, there has been no way for an owner of a roller skate with a non-adjustable toe stop mounting bore to use the adjustable toe stops having the larger toe stop mounting studs.
Roller skates with integral, adjustable toe stop support structures are much more expensive than roller skates with integral non-adjustable toe stop support structures. In fact, the retail cost of many of the roller skates with the adjustable toe stop mounting shoulder is almost twice the cost of the skates with the non-adjustable toe stop mounting shoulder. As a consequence, it would be desired to provide an inexpensive adapter or converter for converting a roller skate having a non-adjustable toe stop support structure to one having an adjustable toe stop support structure which could accommodate the larger diameter mounting studs of the adjustable toe stops.
Roller skates having non-adjustable toe stop support structures frequently incorporate, on the surface of the support structure which bears against the toe stop, an array of projections for engaging mating recesses in the toe stop. Consequently, an adapter or converter which would mount to a roller skate having such projections must be able to accommodate a variety of projection designs. It would be desirable to provide a roller skate toe stop adapter or converter which could accommodate such anti-rotation projections on a roller skate toe stop support structure.
In the past, adapters have been provided in the form of bushings which can be threadingly engaged in "large" diameter toe stop mounting bores for receiving toe stops having mounting bolts of a smaller diameter. However, with the advent of the standardization of the 1/4 inch diameter toe stop mounting bore in the skate having a non-adjustable toe stop support structure and with the advent of the standardization of the 5/8 inch diameter toe stop mounting bore in the more expensive skate having an adjustable toe stop support structure, there is need for providing an adapter which can be used with the skate having the non-adjustable toe stop support structure and 1.theta. inch bore to convert that skate to one having an adjustable toe stop support structure which can accommodate the 5/8 inch mounting bolt. 1/4
This will enable an owner of the less expensive, non-adjustable toe stop support structure roller skate to use the adjustable toe stops without buying a second pair of more expensive roller skates specifically designed with the adjustable, integral toe stop support structure. Such a toe stop adapted or converter could be specifically designed to mount the larger, 5/8 inch diameter mounting stud of the toe stops now being sold for the more expensive roller skates having the adjustable toe stop support structure. This of course will allow the owner of a roller skate having a non-adjustable integral toe stop support structure to use the adjustable toe stops currently on the market and to take advantage of the increased strength and anti-rotation locking efficiency obtained by the use of the larger 5/8 inch diameter mounting stud.